A Kage Is Born
by LittleHellion
Summary: What happens when a little six year old boy, absolutely sure of his identity, runs into a traveler who has different ideas.


Disclaimer: This is Officially Disclaimed.

Just a little FYI, this story centers around the thoughts of an OC, but he isn't important in the slightest. Basically, he's just there to ask questions.

A Kage Is Born

* * *

The little boy was six at _most, _and children of that age were _supposed _to be very sensitive. But to me, all the hard glares, whispers, and minor injuries – thanks to the ruthless children on the playground – seemed to just glance right off of him. His personality matched his hair – sunny. I was only passing through, but I noticed it right away – he wasn't just an annoyance. People _hated _him. 

I asked around about him, but people were oddly closed mouthed about the whole thing; no one would give me an answer. So I asked the boy himself.

"Hey there, little guy, what's your name," I asked, once I'd gotten close enough to converse with him.

"A-are you talking to me?"

I studied his confused face as he pointed to himself. I nodded and smiled. "That's right. What's your name?"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," he said brightly. "Who are you?"

"My name's Kobayashi Hiro," I replied, giving him a bright smile.

"Oh…cool."

I reached out and ruffled his hair a bit, noting the slight flinch as I did so. Hmm. How could I get him to tell me anything? The way he was treated made me wonder if I really wanted to stay in this village for long. Wait…

"Hey, kiddo, do you want to play a game with me?"

To my surprise, the kid – Naruto – shook his head. Looking side to side, he beckoned me closer and confided, "You'll get in trouble if you play with me."

I raised my eyebrows. "Huh? Why would I get in trouble?"

He shrugged. "How should I know? That's just what the other kids' parents tell 'em. They don't like me."

Well…this was easier than I'd expected. "Why not?"

He smiled. "Cos I'm a demon, and I'm evil and dangerous, and I killed lots of people six years ago on my birthday! Come on, mister, don't you know_ anything?"_

He laughed, a childish, carefree laugh that made me sick. So…_this _was the kyuubi kid everyone warned me about? He didn't look like a demon to _me._

"Are you…_sure_ you're a demon?"

He looked surprised at the question. "Well…it has to be true."

"Why is that?"

"Because the grownups say so," he said matter-of-factly. "And the grownups are always right."

"But what if they're lying?"

He frowned, as if the idea had never entered his head. Maybe it hadn't.

"Well…then, I guess they'd be mean people," he muttered. "But that doesn't make sense, since they only say that about me. They're nice to all the other kids."

I picked him up and carried him to a park bench, and sat him down next to me. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"A…secret? I've never had a secret before," he exclaimed. But then, he frowned. "But…you really _are _gonna get in trouble."

"Don't worry about me; I'll be fine," I promised.

"Okay," he said skeptically.

"Well, Naruto-kun, the secret I want to tell you is that they're wrong. You're not a demon."

He scowled a little six-year-old scowl at me. "What are you saying _that _for?"

"It's true, of course."

"Oh yeah? Prove it, then," he shouted.

Was he…upset?

"Okay," I replied, a little confused. "Demons have red eyes. Do you have red eyes?"

"…No. But the police have red eyes. Does that mean _they're _demons?"

He was talking about the Uchiha Sharingan, right? "No, Naruto-kun. Those eyes are different."

"Oh."

"Naruto-kun, do you _feel _like a demon?"

He pinched himself, and I held in a laugh. "I don't know what a demon feels like," he shouted. "How would _I _know? Here, you feel."

He held out his arm to me, and I touched his skin with my index finger. "No, Naruto-kun, you don't feel like a demon at all."

"Oh," he said, and sat still, frowning at his arm for several minutes. Then, he asked quietly, "Then…if I'm _not _a demon, who _am _I?"

It was an innocent, heartbreaking question. He'd accepted their labels, because he hadn't known who else he _could _be. "You're Uzumaki Naruto, of course," I answered.

"And…who is that?"

I smiled. "Whoever he wants to be."

He nodded slowly, and then scowled. "So…who made up that stuff about me being a demon, then," he demanded.

"I have no idea."

"Well, someone should tell 'em it's not true. Who's in charge of them?"

"The Hokage, of course," I answered.

"Oh! Er…who's that," he asked, grinning sheepishly.

"The strongest ninja in the village."

"Oh, then that means…" He shut his eyes, a serious look on his face. Then, he smiled. "That means that Iruka-sensei is the Hokage!"

I laughed; whoever this Iruka-sensei was, the kid sure thought he was something else. "No, Naruto-kun. The Hokage is an old man, who works up in that big building, and wears robes and a hat," I said, pointing to the Hokage tower.

"Oh, you mean that old guy who visits me sometimes, right?"

"Yep, that's him."

He closed his eyes. "So…do you have to be old and have a funny hat to be Hokage," he asked.

"No," I answered with a smile. "You have to be the greatest ninja in your village, and you have to want to help everyone."

He gave me a sunny grin. "Then…I'm going to be the best Hokage ever," he shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "I'm gonna be the best ninja ever, and become Hokage, and then I'll be in charge and tell 'em they're wrong about me!"

"That's a great goal, Naruto-kun," I replied.

"Ooh, and then, and then, I'm gonna find that demon that looks like me except for the red eyes, and I'm gonna punish him for killing people!"

"How do you know it looks like _you, _Naruto-kun?"

"Well _duh," _he said, as if it should've been obvious. "They think I'm him, but demons have red eyes, so they probably just didn't see his eyes and think I'm him."

I was about to respond, but the boy caught sight of the Hokage, and jumped up, yelling, "Hey, old man! How come you didn't tell me you were a Hokage, huh?"

I smiled, stretched, and stood. As I was leaving the playground area, I heard a woman ask her husband, "Was that guy talking to the demon kid? Does he know how dangerous he is?"

I rolled my eyes and walked past them, deciding not to stay in that village any longer than I already had.

"His name's Uzumaki Naruto," I tossed over my shoulder with a casual wave. "And he's going to be your Hokage one of these days."

And he was. Rokudaime, to be exact.


End file.
